International Asbestos Conference

London, UK

November 1, 2006

Event Sponsor: Mealey′s

Dr. Charles Bates: Seeking Solutions to European Asbestos Claiming: Will they be FAIR?

Dr. Bates shared keynote honors with Marc Whitehead, Esq., consultant and former partner with Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal LLP. Dr. Bates’ expertise is based on many years of providing economic analysis in the area of asbestos litigation. In recent Congressional hearings, he presented his analytical findings that the trust proposed by the Fairness In Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2006 (the FAIR Act) was not adequately funded.

At the London conference, Dr. Bates presented issues that were likely to be relevant to asbestos-claiming in Europe. Understanding these issues, according to Dr. Bates, will help Europeans avoid some of the problems the United States has encountered over the course of its experience with asbestos litigation. Dr. Bates examined the potential size of the asbestos problem in Europe and frame the important policy questions Europeans will need to answer in determining payouts in the years to come.

Following Dr. Bates′ address, Mr. Whitehead shared his insights about the legal events that have already taken place in Europe and the trends that are surfacing. He spoke about his experience evaluating cross-border liabilities of corporations, the potential exposure of companies and insurers, and the social and political factors that vary by country and which significantly influence the legal environment and potential decisions.